OooOOOO! Fascinating! I Love All This!

oooOOOO! Fascinating! I love all this!

I do feel like as I moved from canon into fandom, I've felt Wax take more of a backseat (more of a contrast character to others), and a lot of this I think points at why for me. (His arc feels complete. He feels stable.)

For me, Wax has *always* been about trying to move from black and white to a world view that can support both, and the world constantly challenging him on that. (And wow does the world like to throw problems at him.)

Earlier in the series, it's a point of acute angst for him. Lawkeeping vs Being a noble (esp as both relate to being in service to his community). Loyalty to sibling vs What is "right." Freedom of choice vs Doing what you Must (because Will of God) (especially, again! in relation to holding the value of being of service to your community). What doesn't change is this thread about doing "good" and being responsible. He's just such a *protagonist* at heart! (And I kinda wonder is that why he doesn't read as growing?)

Now, later, he's more "settled," but like @tereghan says, it's about constantly trying to find compromise, find that place no matter what the world throws at you (it does feel middle-agey "coming of age!" you're right). So I think maybe also what @shouldprobablybereading says about it maybe feels like it finishes in BoM is such an interesting take to me! In some ways, yeah! He figures out who he wants to be, I think, by end of BoM, and in TLM instead of getting BIG change, we get snippets of how this change actually landed and how he lives with it. I like that we get to see his ability to handle balance going from angsting to more calm. (Also, UGH you said you didn't finish TLM but haha I want to talk about it. aaahhhh.) (Aside, I also like that we get to see his ongoing dialogue with Sazed and like, how the hell *do* you hold a boundary with Literal God and religion when you've got each other on speed dial?)

Interesting thought, too, on the, but the plot keeps giving Wax problems to shoot at! You're so right!! Like if the books are meant to be about Wax's growth, why does politics take such a back seat? Give us more politics!! (I would read the HELL out of that. But also, maybe, that isn't the genre of *this* series. Sadge.)

It also made me wonder, is that (the plot keeps giving problems to shoot at), in some ways, *the* conflict? Shooting is what he's good at. He's effective at it like few others are. Is it his choice? How does he balance what the world keeps calling him to do and who he wants to be? Is it actually where he is the most effective? If he doesn't do it, who will? Who can? (And then that feeds directly into Marasi's I'm always second and never first choice, and Wayne's Nah, I'm just a deputy. I'm not leading character material. And that in turn feeds into the TLM is really Wayne's book [which I thought someone said? but ... I'm confused, I don't see it. Maybe I read that on a different reblog? How do Tumblr? I've only been here years...])

I, oppositely, inexplicably love this series! But as I was reading it I could definitely see points that caused me to think, wow some of my friends would not like this bit. So I'm genuinely fascinated to see what in this series doesn't work for people. ^^ This has generated so many thoughts for me! (Good enrichment.) So thanks for sharing! (And now I'm curious about what else you're mad about ^^)

ok I’m about to be somewhat negative about mistborn era two, scroll away if you don’t want to see that…

ok, genuine question, did wax grow? can someone explain to me what his arc is? like I can tell he’s supposed to have one, but I don’t understand it (keep in mind I gave up halfway through lost metal, so I mean his arc through the first three books)

The band, the music, the dance.

puts on sound 📣🎶🎵

sweet roll

The number of things that are just

Wax Dalinar

🤝

is so many.

killed their first wife

bullies god into doing better

absolute catnip to Shards

will fight an entire army even if they have to do it alone

series kicks off with the death of their sibling (and oh, what were you up to, sibling)

A day late, but posting a story of when we first got married to celebrate our anniversary:

The thing about having an autistic husband, is as much as I love him, he just is not capable of picking up on behaviors or facial expressions and knowing what they mean. He needs me to speak the words I’m feeling.

Early on, this was a problem. When I was exhausted after work and didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with anything, I needed some time alone.

I would say “I’m tired,” get up and leave a room.

He’d follow.

I would shut a door.

He would open it, and keep talking to me.

I had to actually speak the words, “I would like a little bit of space for a while.”

And then he would say, “Oh.” In a sad voice.

And then I’d feel like an asshole, because he always seemed so sad when I did that. I didn’t want to hurt him. I loved him, and I thought I was a bad wife for wanting time for myself. Things were not good.

One day, I came home, and on my desk was a card, laminated. It was simple, black text on white background, in 36-point font. It said:

I love you. Fuck off.

And he took my hands and said the reason he was sad wasn’t that I needed space— he needs his sometimes too, but I pick up the signals and leave him alone.

He felt bad that he couldn’t understand me, and I always looked so uncomfortable and guilty when I told him.

So now I have a card that I can hand to him, any time, and he will understand and go away for an hour and nobody feels guilty.

So there’s this famous phrase in Genesis, “לא טוב היות האדם לבדו" (“lo tov heyot ha'adam l'vado”), which means “it is not good for man to be alone.” I was thinking today that it might make a nice Jewish friendship bracelet or wedding ring inscription or something. Problem is, if you try to split it up it becomes

לא טוב היות האדם לבדו

“Existence is not good.” “Man is alone.”

All the other ways of splitting them up are similarly awful. And on the one hand, I think this is really kind of beautiful—how this phrase, which is about togetherness, is so beautiful as a whole but cannot be broken into parts without itself becoming splintered and distorted. The language mirrors the very nature of humanity that it describes.

But on the other hand it totally ruined my friendship bracelet idea so @G-d this is a callout post